Automatic mechanically-controlled power-driven cash drawer



Dec. 27,1927. 1 1,654,045

HOWELL AUTOMATIC HECHANICALLY CONTROLLED POWER DRIVEN CASH DRAWER 3 Sheets Sheet l Filed March 9, 1927 im-entar w 274ml; Hoax Z6,

Dec. 27, 19:57.

F. HOWELL AUTOMATIC MECHANICALLY CONTROLLED POWER DRIVEN CASH DRAWER Filed March 1927 F. HOWELL AUTOMATIC MECHANICAL-LY CONTROLLED POWER DRIVEN CASH DRAWER 5 Sheets-S beef; 3

Filed March 9, 1927 Attorney Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED, STATES P TENT OFFICE.

runners HOWELL, or nnca'ron, INDIANA. 1

AUTOMATIC MECHANICALLY-CONTROLLED POWER-DRIVEN CASH DRAWI ER.

j Application filed March 9,

The present invention relates .to cash drawers and has for its principalobject to provide a structure for protecting the money in banks, theatre windows and places of bus1- ness where much money iis'kept on hand, in

case of a hold-up.

Another important object of the inventlon lies in the provision of a cash drawer which may be closed, through the closing of a switch, in circuit with a motor operatively connected with the cash drawer, for opening and closing the same.

Another important object of the invention lies in the provision of a cash drawer, having a safet structure so as to prevent the mashing o a persons fingers, should the drawer be closed on him, while his fingers are over the edge thereof.

It is contemplated, in a business where there is more than one cash drawer used, such of this nature, which may be manufactured at a reasonably low cost and will prove thoroughly eflicient and reliable in operation, and well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.v

With the above and numerous other ob jects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides first, 1n the novel features of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of the cash drawer structure embodying the featureso f, my invention, showing'portions broken away to indicate the interior structure.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof, 'Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section therethrough, 7 Figure 4 is a longitudinal section therethrough taken to one side of the cash drawer, Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view, of the top of the casing, showingthe hinged door therein, Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation of the structure showing the drawerclosed,

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1927. Serial ms. 174,056.

Figure 7 is a similar view showing the drawer open,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary detail structure showing the forward portions of the parts 1n Figure 8 with the safety-section of the top of the casing open,

' .Figure 9 is a detail section, taken horizontally through the plate on which the drawer 1s mounted to show a series of rods,

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail section,

taken approximately on the line 10-10 of Figure 1,

Figure 11 is a following diagrammatic v1ew showing a systemof wiring which may be used with the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the drawer casing comprises a bottom 5 having rising therefrom a rear wall 6 and a pair of side walls 7 and a front wall '8. This front wall 8 has an opening through which is slidable the drawer 9. A

top 10 is mounted on the rear and side walls and terminates a slight distance from the front wall 8 and has a section 11 hinged to its forward end as at 12. Blocks 13 are.

mounted inside the casing on the front wall 8 and have diagonal grooves 14 therein. Links 15 are p1votally engaged with the section 11 and depend therefrom and have rollers 16 journaled on intermediate portions thereof and movable in grooves 14. Springs 17 are carried by the blocks 13 and engage the lower ends of the links 15 to urge them forwardly, thereby causing the rollers ;16 to ride on the inclined edges of the grooves 14 to maintain the section 11 normally closed, as shown inFigures 7 and 6. It will be seen that when the section is swung to an open position, as shown in Figure 8, the spring 17 is tensioned. This section is provided, m

case a person has his fingers over the edges of the drawer 9 at the front end thereof when the drawer is closed; It' will be seen that the fingers will engage the section and knock said section upwardly. Plates 18 on the sides of the drawer are formed with channels 19,

I the forward ends of which are smallerfor rece1ving rollers 20 on the lower ends of the links, so as to maintain the section 11 closed under normal conditions.

Blocks 21 are slidably mounted on bars 22, mounted on the side walls 7 interiorly of the casing by brackets 23. These blocks are provided with spring pressed dogs 24 engageable in openings 25, provided in the side edges, 9* e r?" 9 is- 7 mounted on the sides 7. Sprockets 29 are journaled on the forward portions of the side walls 7 while sprockets 39 are mounted on a shaft 40, journaled between the rear portions of the side walls 7 Chains 38 are trained over the sprockets 39 and a lug 37 projects fromeach block to engage in a link of the adjacent chain 38. As the description has thus far progressed, it will be seen that by rotating the shaft 40, the drawer may be opened and closed. A shield 36 is disposed on each side wall 7, above the lower run of the adjacent chain 38, as is shownto advantage in Figure 4. The shaft 40- is journaled in brackets 35 dependin from the top 10 and has a worm gear 34 xed to its center in mesh with the worm 33 "on a vertical shaft 32 journaled in a liracket 31, projecting forwardly from the rear wall 6. A bevelled gear 41 is mounted on the lower ortion of the shaft 32 and meshes with the eveled pinions 42 rotatably mounted on shaft 43 and held in mesh by collars 44. These beveled pinions 42 have clutch segments 45 on their inner ends which are engageable by a clutch member 46 slidable on and rotatable with the shaft 43. The shaft 43 is j-ournaled in brackets 47 and extend horizontally and 1s geared as at 48 to an electric motor 49. A shifting rod 50 is slidable across the bottom 5 and operates the clutch through a link and fork structure 51. This rod 50 has mounted at spaced intervals thereon cam members 52, which are engageable with pivoted hooks 53 mounted on the bottom 5 for engagement with notches of brackets 54 on the bottom of the drawer plate 26. Stop brackets 55 are also disposed below the drawer plate for abutting stops 56 when the drawer is fully closed.

The rod 50 ispivotally engaged, as at 56 with a lever 57 rockably mounted intermediate its ends and an upstanding'frame structure 58 on the bottom 5. A switch bar 59 is also pivotally engaged with the lever 57 and has a pair of upstanding spaced contact arms 60 for engaging a stationary contact 61 disposed therebetween. When the lever 57 is in the central position of the frame, 58, as shown in Figure 3, the contact arms 60 are disengaged from the stationary contact 61. These contacts'60 and 61 form a switch structure denoted generally by the letter S, in the diagrammatic showing of the Figure 11.

From the description, as it has thus far progressed, it will e seen that by throwing the lever-57 to the right, in Figure 3, the right hand contact 60 is engaged with the contact 61 for closing the motor circuit in one direction, and simultaneously the rod 50 is moved to disengage the catches 53, by means of cams 52. These catches are normally in an engageableposition because of springs 70. This shifting of the rod 50 also causes the engagement of one of the pinions 42 for rotating the gear 41 in one direction for causing the drawer to open.

After the drawer has opened, a roller 69 thereon will rock 'a lever 71, so that its rear end is spaced from the other contact 60, so that lever 57 may be swung to the left hand position for reversing the gear mechanism which drives the drawer and to partially close the circuit. This circuit of the motor has other switches therein, which are located at different places and may be closed for the purpose of causing the drawer or drawers to be closed, in the case of a hold-up. As the drawer closes, the roller 69 willswing the lever 71 so as to move the switch bars 59 and open the circuit at switch S.

In order to make the device fool-proof, an opening 72 is provided in the top 10 and has mounted therein a door 73 hinged at 74 and having a suitable lock 75 associated therewith. This door has a block 76 depending therefrom, which prevents the drawer from being closed while the-lever is in its neutral position, so that the lever must always be swun to the left hand position heretofore described, after it has been opened by the mechanism also heretofore described, so that the mechanism will be ready to operate at all times. The drawer, after it has once been opened, may be ppened and closed because of bolts 78 slidable through the plate 26. These bolts are engageable with the spring pressed dogs 24 to push them out of the openin s 25. These bolts 78 are in alignment wit each other, and have their inner meeting ends beveled as at 80. A third bolt 81' is slidable through the plate and at the front of the drawer terminates in a button, 'as is indicated at 82, and a spring 83 is associated therewith for holdin the button normally outwardly. It will e seen that the button may be pushed inwardly, thereby pushing the bolts 76, outwardly by the enagement of. the bevelled ends 80, so that the doors will be released from the openings 25, and thedoor may be moved in and out independently of the mechanism. When the drawer is pushed all of the way in by the mechanism, it will be seen that oneof the blocks 21, will engage an extension 85 on a slide member 86 in a slide way 87, which is urged forwardly by a sprin 88, which has a cam extension 89 engageab e with one end of a bar 59, for breakin the circuit at the switch F and rocking the ever 57 sufliciei vtllfi to slide the rod 50, so that the cams 52 engage under the catches 53 to lock the i will be seen that if a hold-up occurs, any one may close one of the switches A which will close the drawer or drawers as the case may be. In this circuit or circuits, it is preferable to have an alarm B, which will be energized upon closing of the circuit.

It is thoughtjthat the construction, operation. and advantages of this invention will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art without a more detailed description thereof.

The present embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail, merely by way of example, since in actual practice it attains the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description. It will be apparent that changes in the details of con struction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed, or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what? I claim as new is:

1. In combination, a casing, a drawer slidable in the casin electro-mechanical means for closing the rawer, and manually oper ated means for releasing the drawer from the electro-mechanical means when desired.

2. In combination, a casing, a drawer slidable in the casing, electro-mechanical means for closing the drawer, and manually operated means for releasing the drawer from the electro-mechanical means when desired, said electro-mechanical means comprising an electric motor, a shaft journaled in the casing, sprockets on the shaft, other sprockets journaled in the casing, chains trained 'over the sprockets, means on the drawer for engaging the chain, gearing between the shaft and the motor, clutch and reversing means in the gearing between the shaft and the motor.

3. In combination, a casing, a drawer slidable in the casing, electro-mechanical means for closing the drawer, and manually operated means for releasing the drawer from the electro-mechanical means when desired, said electro-mechanical means comprising an electric motor, a shaft journaled in the easing, sprockets on the shaft, other sprockets journaled in the casing, chains trained over the sprockets, means on the drawer for engaging the chain, gearing between the shaft and the motor, clutch and reversing means in the gearing between the-shaft and the motor, a lever for operating said last mentioned means, said lever being accessible through an opening in the casing, a door for said openings having a block thereon extending in the path of the lever to prevent it from being closed when the lever is in a neutral position.

4. In combination, a casing, a drawer slidable in the casin electro-mechanical means for closing the rawe-r, and manually operated means for releasing the drawer from the electro-mechanical meanswhen desired,

1 said electro-mechanical means comprising an electric motor, a shaft journaled in the easing, sprockets on the shaft, other-sprockets jou-rna-led in .the casing, chains trained over the sprockets, means on the drawer for engaging the chat'n, gearingbetween the shaft and the motor, clutch. and reversing means inthe gearing between the shaft and the motor, a lever for operatingJ said last men tioned means, said lever eing accessible through an opening in the casing, a door for said openings having a block thereon extending in the path of the lever to prevent it from being closed when the lever is in a neutral posit-ion, said means in the drawer for engaging the chain having a releasing mechanism associated therewith.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signatlire.

FRANCIS HOWELL. 

